EDMONTON, Alberta — The Avalanche declined to skate at Rexall Place this morning, despite the relatively late game start against the Oilers tonight (8 p.m.). Colorado begins a consecutive-night set, playing at Vancouver on Sunday, so the team doesn’t want to skate too much during the stretch. I will speak to coach Patrick Roy and a player or two pregame and put some notes together.

The Avalanche this morning announced defenseman Nate Guenin, who has cleared waivers twice in the past five weeks, has been assigned to the AHL San Antonio Rampage. He hasn’t played and has been a healthy scratch since Jan. 12, so his demotion isn’t unexpected.

Colorado also sent goaltender Reto Berra, out since suffering an ankle injury Dec. 21 in the always-dangerous hallway soccer kibitzing, to the Rampage on a conditioning assignment.

The two moves are linked because Berra technically has been activated from injured reserve and Guenin’s demotion cleared a spot on the 23-man active roster for him.

The Avs practice later this morning and next play Saturday at Edmonton.

Avalanche center John Mitchell, who left practice early Tuesday, on Wednesday went through the full morning skate and said he would play against Montreal.

“Cody (McLeod) and I just kind of collided there and I hit my nose and head a little bit,” Mitchell said. “It’s nothing significant by any means. It’s all good.”

Mitchell isn’t counted on to be a major offensive threat, but he doesn’t have a goal since Dec. 21. He has eight for the season, and he is back on a line with Andreas Martinsen and McLeod.

“You know that Marty’s going to take pucks to the net, Mac’s going to take pucks to the net, so I think it’s a safe bet to get to the front of the net too,” Mitchell said. “You might not get a shot off, it might go off your skate, it might just tip off your blade, your body. I think the objective for our line, especially when you’re in the offensive zone, is to just get pucks and bodies to the net and hope for something good.”

Meanwhile, as outlined in the Tuesday paper, this will be Patrick Roy’s sixth game coaching against his former team, the Canadiens.

Skille looks like he’s good to go after missing the last five games with a concussion. Update later. Canadiens vs. Avs at the Pepsi Center on Wednesday.

Big week of hockey. Colorado College plays Denver at Coors Field on Saturday in the Battle on Blake. The Tigers host the Pioneers on Thursday at the Broadmoor World Arena. I have that game before flying to Edmonton on Friday. The Avs play the Oilers Saturday and the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday at Rogers Arena. Next week, of course, the Avs play the Detroit Red Wings in an NHL Stadium Series game at Coors Field, on Feb. 27 after the Feb. 24 home game against San Jose. Tickets for all of the Coors Field hockey games — including the Feb. 26 alumni game — can be obtained here.

DETROIT — Greetings from snowy Detroit, after flights from Ottawa to Washington Dulles and from Washington Dulles to Detroit …

Last night after the Avalanche win at Ottawa, Patrick Roy told me he was pondering stepping away from his pre-trip, penciled-in goaltending plan. Going in, the tentative plan was for Calvin Pickard to play in Detroit. Roy said he would talk with Varlamov to see how he felt, but he was “80 percent” certain he would come back with Varlamov against the Red Wings.

The Avalanche confirmed the change in plans Friday, so Varlamov will be in the net at Joe Louis Arena.

Roy again will use the same lineup as at Ottawa, so Nate Guenin and Zach Redmond will be the scratches. Guenin again was placed on waivers Friday, and if he clears them Saturday, it will extend the window another 30 days for the Avalanche being able to send him down to San Antonio. Roy said that isn’t the intention now. (His comments are in the Avalanche Briefs.)

By the way, snow is falling in Buffalo, and a lake-effect storm warning is in effect until 10 p.m. Eastern tonight. But the Avalanche plan still is to fly from Detroit to Buffalo tonight after the game. The Avalanche closes out the three-game trip against the Sabres Sunday at 10:30 a.m. Mountain Time.

Dion Phaneuf in his debut for the Senators at Detroit Wednesday (Associated Press)

OTTAWA — The Avalanche isn’t having a morning skate today in advance of the game against the Ottawa Senators, primarily because the Canadian Tire Centre is far from downtown and going back and forth for the skate and and then back for the game would be too time-consuming.

So there is no “this is a big game” stuff to pass along this morning.

From the Ottawa perspective, the big news is that it will be the home-ice debut of defenseman Dion Phaneuf, acquired from Toronto this week in a nine-player deal. He’s one of the quintessential guys folks love when he’s on “your” team and hate when he’s a member of the opposition, so it takes considerable adjusting. He played in the Senators’ second pairing in a 3-1 loss at Detroit Wednesday night, logging 22 minutes, and was a minus-1.

“The guys were unbelievable in welcoming me to this team.” he told reporters after the game. “I can’t thank them enough for the way they welcomed me on a day it’s different. But I enjoyed every minute of it except the outcome.” Read more…

Battered Avalanche defenseman Nick Holden won’t pose for the camera. He politely declined to allow pictures or video to be taken of his face, which features two black eyes and a fractured nose that required six stitches and glue to close. Holden talks about his incident with Drew Stafford and the one-game suspension the Winnipeg forward was given for wildly swinging his stick.

Avalanche forward Jack Skille will miss his second consecutive game with a concussion. He did not skate Tuesday morning but the Avs aren’t ready to replace him on the roster. For now, coach Patrick Roy said the team will carry just 12 available forwards.

Quick 30-minute practice Monday after the Avs had Sunday off to watch the big game. Coach Patrick Roy was ill and left the rink immediately after practice. We’ll have an update on his health and that of winger Jack Skille (concussion) at Tuesday’s morning skate.

I didn’t catch Nick Holden after practice but I imagine his face is still pretty beat up. Winnipeg’s Drew Stafford on Monday was suspended for his violent high stick on Holden. Stafford will forfeit $23,387.

Detroit Red Wings center Kris Draper, left, battles for the puck with Colorado Avalanche right winger Milan Hejduk (23) as Avalanche center Joe Sakic (19) skates in to take control of the puck during the first period in Denver, on Dec. 15, 2000. (David Zalubowski, The Associated Press)

Former Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings players will meet again on the ice for the NHL Stadium Series Alumni Game at 5 p.m. on Feb. 26 at Coors Field.

NEW YORK (Feb. 3, 2016) – The National Hockey League (NHL®), the Colorado Avalanche® and the Detroit Red Wings® today jointly released additional Red Wings and Avalanche greats who will participate in the 2016 NHL Stadium Series™ Alumni Game that will take place at Coors Field on Friday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m. MT, a day prior to the 2016 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series™.

The Avs return to action Tuesday at home against the Chicago Blackhawks, who will be without captain Jonathan Toews. His one-game suspension is the result of bowing out of this weekend’s All Star Game in Nashville. There is ample proof that Toews is indeed injured, and not skipping the All-Star festivities to go sit on a beach like most players during the break.

Toews scored the overtime goal to beat the Avalanche 4-3 in Denver on Dec. 31:

And the other Avalanche goalie at the morning skate: Some guy named Roy

SAN JOSE — There for a while Tuesday morning, with Semyon Varlamov back in Denver and Calvin Pickard ill, the possibility of Patrick Roy serving as the Avalanche’s coach/backup goalie for a night seemed, while unlikely, not completely outlandish.

The NHL has provisions for securing emergency backups, if needed, and while I haven’t pored through the fine print, my understanding is it would have been theoretically possible. Goalie coaches and Canadian college players (where eligibility rules are looser) have filled that role in the past.

Roy ruled that out after the skate.

The story on the situation is here It also includes Roy’s comments about Erik Johnson and Mikhail Grigorenko also remaining at the team hotel because they were ill.

At the skate, Roman Will, the 23-year-old Czech recalled Monday night from San Antonio, and Roy were in the nets.

Will traveled from San Antonio to San Diego, and then on to San Jose, on Monday night.

He said of his recall: “My coach in the AHL, Dean (Chynoweth) told me, and I was so excited to hear than and I am so thankful to be here and trying to enjoy every second here with these guys and these coaches.”

What of the possibility he might have to serve as more than Pickard’s backup if Pickard isn’t able to go?

“I’m not thinking about that,” he said. “If that chance comes, I will be super-excited and we will see how it goes. I will be ready for the game if I have to go in.”

Goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) of the Colorado Avalanche defends the goal as he had 39 saves against the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi Center on Dec. 19, 2015 in Denver. The Avalanche defeated the Oilers 5-1. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

Semyon Varlamov was not made available Monday when the Avalanche had an optional practice and off-ice workouts at team headquarters.

This story from 9News says the civil lawsuit brought against him by his former girlfriend began Monday. The Avalanche confirmed Varlamov is not with the team in San Jose, where it plays the Sharks on Tuesday night, and he might not be available during the two-game road trip that concludes Wednesday in Los Angeles. Varlamov was the scheduled starter against the Kings.

Goalie Roman Will of San Antonio of the American Hockey League was recalled late Monday and has joined the Avs in San Jose, where he will back-up Calvin Pickard. Pickard was already the scheduled starter against the Sharks.

Terry Frei is in San Jose covering the team and will be at the morning skate. Read more…

Goalie Semyon Varlamov (1) of the Colorado Avalanche defends the goal as he had 39 saves against the Edmonton Oilers at Pepsi Center on Dec. 19, 2015 in Denver. The Avalanche defeated the Oilers 5-1. (Doug Pensinger, Getty Images)

The Colorado Avalanche are on a four-game winning streak in big part to the play of goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who was named the NHL first star of the week on Monday.

Varlamov compiled a 4-0-0 record with a 0.99 goals-against average and a .972 save percentage from Jan. 18-24. In three of the four starts, he made 30 or more saves. On the year, he’s posted a 19-12-3 record with a 2.59 GAA and .918 save percentage.

The Avalanche (26-21-3), fourth in the Central Division, have risen to the No. 1 wild-card spot in the Western Conference with 55 points.

New Jersey Devils right wing Lee Stempniak and St. Louis Blues goaltender Brian Elliott were the second and third stars, respectively.

During Patrick Roy’s post-game news conference following the Avalanche’s 2-1 shootout win over St. Louis Friday night, I asked the Colorado coach what moves would be made with Erik Johnson due to be activated and return to the lineup Saturday night at Dallas.

His answer surprised me, frankly.

The Avalanche is returning Nikita Zadorov to the San Antonio Rampage of the American Hockey League. Zadorov, 20, played five games for Colorado in his second stint with the Avalanche this season, after he and Chris Bigras, also 20, were recalled from the Rampage Jan. 13. Zadorov had been playing with Francois Beauchemin at even strength.

“He needs to play,” Roy said of Zadorov. “Bigras is going to stay for a bit and we’ll see. We’ll let him continue to play. He played really well again tonight.”

Roy added, “It’s a good thing for ‘Z.’ I thought Z did a lot of good things. We want him to be better with the puck. We felt that he had a bit too many giveaways and we want him to work at that and his game. He was better defensively and I think he’s heading in the right direction. We feel that he needs the time down there to improve his game and continue to learn the game.”

Roy said Johnson would step back into his regular pairing, with Beauchemin, so the move is relatively simple, meaning the other two pairs of late — Bigras with Nate Redmond, and Tyson Barrie with Nick Holden — will remain the same. Nate Guenin and Andrew Bodnarchuk remain with the Avalanche as extra defensmen, at least for the time being.

My guess had been that after the Avalanche seemed to make a commitment to trying youth on defense, Colorado would stick with that approach and try to live with Zadorov’s youthful mistakes and inconsistency. That would have meant Guenin, who cleared waivers recently, or Bodnarchuk, claimed on waivers from Columbus Jan. 5, or both, would have gone down to San Antonio.

Wrong.

Another factor in all of this is that Guenin is very popular in the room and handled going on waivers and facing possible demotion with professionalism, and that it’s clear this isn’t going to be a guy griping about being a healthy scratch and remaining around as D-man insurance.

Back to the Copper Mountain event, which featured 24 teams. It was a benefit for Dave Repsher, who was one of the flight nurses on the Flight for Life helicopter that crashed on July 3. Dave was a hockey player in the Breckenridge adult league and a long time member of the Copper Mountain ski patrol. He is in critical condition with burns over 90 percent of his body. Donations are continually being accepted to help support Dave and his family.Read more…

Terry Frei graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in the Denver area and has degrees in history and journalism from the University of Colorado-Boulder. He worked for the Rocky Mountain News while attending CU and joined the Post staff after graduation. He has also worked at the Oregonian in Portland, Ore., and The Sporting News. His seventh book, March 1939: Before the Madness, was issued in February 2014.

Chambers covers college and professional hockey for The Denver Post. He has written for the Post since 1994, after dumping his first 9-to-5 office job a couple years out of college. He primarily follows the University of Denver hockey team and helps cover the Avalanche.